Man 'laughed hysterically' after sexually assaulting woman in pub

A man who sexually assaulted a woman in a busy pub initially told police he had just been trying to get her attention, a court has heard. An intoxicated Jacob Evans put his hand up the dress of a woman and groped her genital area, and then when the victim pushed his arm away "threw his head back and laughed hysterically."

Swansea Crown Court heard the incident took place in the Golden Lion pub in Carmarthen in 2021. Hannah George, prosecuting, said when a woman in the bar leaned forward to talk to a friend the defendant "took advantage of her position" and put his hand under her dress. She said the complaint then felt "pressure" in the genital area. The court heard the woman responded by pushing Evans' arm away at which point the defendant "threw back his head and laughed hysterically".

The woman left the pub and called the police, and officers were soon on the scene. The court heard while the woman was talking to officers she saw the defendant on the street and pointed him out. Evans was spoken to and officers noted he was "extremely intoxicated" with slurred speech. In his subsequent police interview he claimed he had just been trying to get the woman's attention by tapping her, and there was a misunderstanding. Evans was not charged until 18 months after this arrest when he was sent a postal requisition.

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Jacob Evans, aged 29, of Russell Terrace, Carmarthen, had previously pleaded guilty to sexual assault by touching when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions but does have a caution from 2015 for exposing his penis in public when drunk. Nicola Powell, for Evans, described the events in the pub as an act of "drunken stupidity" and said if her client had not previously realised he had a problem with alcohol, he certainly did now. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here

Record Mark Powell KC said a pre-sentence report noted the defendant's embarrassment and remorse for what he had done, and he said he was inclined to follow the recommendations in the document. He also said the two-and-a-half year delay in the case was a significant issue. Evans was made the subject of a 24-month community order, and he must complete a rehabilitation course, a Horizon sex offenders programme, and 150 hours of unpaid work. The defendant will be a registered sex offender for the net five years. The judge warned Evans he was "very much at risk" of custody if he offended in a similar way again.